


Every Day a Drudge

by Hokuto



Category: Marathon (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Foreshadowing, Gen, Prompt Fic, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21871762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokuto/pseuds/Hokuto
Summary: A day in the life of one poor intern on theMarathon.
Relationships: Durandal & Security Officer, Durandal & Tycho
Comments: 17
Kudos: 13
Collections: Seven Days of Marathon 2019





	Every Day a Drudge

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of Seven Days of Marathon! For the roleswap prompt "A sorta swap AU where the Security Guard is an AI and Leela, Durandal, and Tycho are all human. Probably set somewhere before the invasion or the invasion never happens; and it'd be a bit slice-of-life-y starring a head scientist, the chief of defense, the poor guy who can't seem to make it beyond being an intern under that jerk Strauss, and their AI friend who just wants to do a good job."
> 
> Additional content notes: hostile working environment for human and machine alike (because Strauss), arguing.

"You're late," Strauss said.

"I'm five minutes early," Durandal protested, sliding into the seat of his workstation in the cybertonics lab.

"Which may as well be twenty minutes late, with as much work as you need to do today. I'm expecting the final draft of that code by eleven o'clock precisely."

"I'll have it done by ten."

Strauss cast a withering glare over the top of his old-fashioned glasses. "If you insist on setting unrealistic goals for yourself, fine. By ten sharp."

Durandal bided his time pulling up his working drafts and resource files until Strauss had topped off his mug of coffee and disappeared into his office; then he whispered to the terminal, "So, what did you put in his breakfast this morning?"

Nothing appeared in a discreet text box to one side of Durandal's workspace. Pretty sure he was born this way. Plus breakfast would be Blake's job.

"Sorry. You're both designed to trade off tasks as necessary, and for some reason Dr. Strauss doesn't seem to be permanently furious at Blake."

I can think of a few reasons for that, said the security AI, but I'd rather not piss off Blake, too. Sometimes I almost like the guy.

"Whatever. Are you too busy stopping transporter pad fights to help me finish debugging this project or not?"

You're lucky people are so nice on this ship. AIs included.

With minimal assistance from Security, the project was error-free and in Strauss's inbox at 9:56. Unfortunately, the way Strauss ran the lab, that just meant two more buggy projects got dumped in Durandal's lap on top of the other eleven he had to finish before the end of the week. Around one Security started making pointed comments about all the probably-delicious food Blake was replicating for people who had the sense to pull their noses out of cyberspace long enough to eat, and Durandal stole ten minutes to head for the breakroom and grab a snack.

"'It'll be a great opportunity for you,' he says," he muttered as the cranky old replicator did its best to produce a sandwich. "'Work with one of the finest minds in cyber-psychology of all time,' he says. He can take his opportunity and - hi, Tycho."

The _Marathon_'s head scientist could do better for lunch than the breakroom, which was meant for interns, TAs, and grad students, but there Tycho was anyway, standing in the doorway with disapproval all over his long face. "You're taking lunch late," he said.

"I'm busy. It happens."

Tycho's face got longer. "I hope it isn't because you've been slacking off, after everything I've done to get you this -"

"Slacking? Is that your idea of a joke?" Durandal grabbed the sandwich out of the replicator before the last edge of crust had materialized - whatever, who liked crusts, anyway - and inhaled a bit with barely a chew. "Your favorite genius dumped an entire six-person lab's worth of work on me the day I started. I don't know what anyone else in the group actually does because one, I never have five seconds to talk to them, and two, I'm doing it all!"

"Just because you don't see the final results of his lab's output doesn't mean Dr. Strauss isn't working as hard as you are."

"Is he? Does he bother to include my name on any of it?"

Tycho's pale cheeks reddened. "That's uncalled for. I'm sure Dr. Strauss values your contributions."

"Then maybe he should say so instead of acting like I'm a malfunctioning 'bot who spits binary all over his files!"

"If you can't handle the responsibilities of this position -"

"Hey, you two," said Security, neutral as always. "Do I have to get my boss in here to break it up, or can you settle this like grown-ups?"

Durandal crammed down another mouthful of sandwich to muffle his sullen, "No. We're fine," and Tycho nodded in frosty agreement. Leela had grown up with them in the same block of crew quarters, but instead of science and technology, she had gone into security to make use of her natural talents: diplomacy, strategy, a cool head under pressure, and being 6'2" with shoulders to match. Those talents combined with a few lucky breaks had made her rise through the ranks to security chief meteoric, to say the least. Having her called in for a squabble between her old friends would just be humiliating for all three of them.

"Okay. Glad to hear it," Security said. "And for the record, Head Scientist, although it's not normally my business, unusually high amounts of overtime have been logged for Dr. Strauss's lab recently. Primarily worked by Durandal and not reflected in the official credits or acknowledgments, which are written by Dr. Strauss."

"Ah. Thank you for informing me." Tycho fussed with the collar of his lab coat. "It seems I may need to have a word or two with Bernhard."

"That's _it_?" Durandal said around the sandwich. "That's all? Nothing for me?"

"I assume you'll benefit from the conversation. Isn't that enough?" Tycho took a deep breath. "I - apologize for not believing you. You know I've only been trying to help you get on your feet."

"Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten me an internship with a man who treats people like machines and machines like shit."

Another frown. "That's a serious allegation. If you think Dr. Strauss has been mistreating any of our AIs -"

"No, no, it was a joke. Still no sense of humor." At least, Durandal was pretty sure it was only a joke. The lab's restrictions on AI observation and assistance were more draconian than most - even if Durandal excelled at finding ways around Strauss's blocks to let Security lend a metaphysical hand - but not to an unreasonable extent, considering how delicate and potentially hazardous some of the code they worked with could be. He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and said, "Anyway, until you have that talk, I have an insane workload to deal with. See you."

"Wait!" Tycho coughed. "Since you've been - busy, you may simply have missed the invitation, but the security division is having a small awards ceremony soon. Leela would love to see you there if you have the time to attend - but I'm sure I can get Bernhard to see reason."

Today was full of surprises, apparently. "Okay. I'll double-check my email, but maybe forward me your invitation just in case so I have the date and time."

"All right. And good luck with your work."

Durandal tossed him a casual salute and left the breakroom. As he was diving back into the project he'd put on hold, Security's text box popped up again with You know that thing you said about how Dr. Strauss treats machines?

"Yes?" Durandal's fingers raced over the terminal inputs, but his attention was all on the text.

No change for a good four or five seconds. Nothing. You sure did go off about him, though.

"As if he doesn't deserve it. Are you certain it's nothing?" Durandal might have been joking about Strauss, but the seriousness with which Tycho had reacted to it had stuck in his head. Strauss wasn't the kind of misanthrope who lavished affection on machines instead of people (Durandal should know; took one to know one). Strauss never talked to any of the _Marathon_'s AIs directly that Durandal knew of, and his attitude toward them ranged from barely veiled contempt to outright disdain. And with the kind of code the lab worked with, the strict regulation on the AIs, some of the projects Durandal had debugged and the ones he wasn't even allowed to glance at... Was it possible something shady was going on after all? "You know I'm not going to rat you out."

Another unnaturally long pause. I know. Thanks. Don't worry about it. Are you going to leave that expression open forever or what?

"Now _I_ want to revoke your access to the lab," Durandal said, adding in the necessary punctuation to the code.

Well, if you don't want my help...

"I am surrounded by people with no appreciation for fine sarcasm."

You keep telling yourself that, buddy.


End file.
